Nefarious:Photo of the perpetrator[www.bluesummitwealth.com image 468x475]

Admittedly it was easier when Frank Abagnale Jr did it.

The funny thing about Frank Abagnale is that almost nothing in his book (upon which the movie is based) checks out, except for check fraud. Keep in mind that many events he described were rather public, yet NO ONE from the era remembers him or remembers being scammed.

All those stories about him online use his autobiography as the sole source. Now case in point, he said agents were boarding a plane he was on, and he removed the toilet from the bathroom and the hole opened up into the cargo area and he walked away with the baggage handlers. He listed the specific model of aircraft, and people quickly called bullshiat. He admitted the work was ghostwritten, he only met with the author a little bit, and it's not all true.

Well the hospital he supposedly impersonated a doctor at for months, or the hotel he scammed, no record of him or anybody else doing that, no one remembers him. The literally THOUSANDS of real pilots he flew with in cockpits of commercial airlines by pretending to be a pilot himself- some of which he must inevitably had flown with twice- no one came forward and remembered him. And it's a somewhat tight-knit community, pilots tend to remember other pilots.

The movie doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of his scams, including conning his way out of Atlanta Federal Penitentiary.

Sorry but outside of check fraud, he didn't do any of that.

The irony here is that he DID pull off a titanic scam- making a big adventure book of fiction and claiming it as real, to the point where Leonardo DiCaprio played him. You shouldn't be disappointed, he TOLD YOU he was a con man!

The movie doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of his scams, including conning his way out of Atlanta Federal Penitentiary.

Sorry but outside of check fraud, he didn't do any of that.

The irony here is that he DID pull off a titanic scam- making a big adventure book of fiction and claiming it as real, to the point where Leonardo DiCaprio played him. You shouldn't be disappointed, he TOLD YOU he was a con man!

The movie doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of his scams, including conning his way out of Atlanta Federal Penitentiary.

Sorry but outside of check fraud, he didn't do any of that.

The irony here is that he DID pull off a titanic scam- making a big adventure book of fiction and claiming it as real, to the point where Leonardo DiCaprio played him. You shouldn't be disappointed, he TOLD YOU he was a con man!

They would have made the movie anyway.

Hey, wait a minute- he doesn't look a thing like Leonardo DiCaprio! No, no, nothing checks out about this at all- hey, everybody! Look! He's a BIG PHONY!

Oznog:The funny thing about Frank Abagnale is that almost nothing in his book (upon which the movie is based) checks out, except for check fraud. Keep in mind that many events he described were rather public, yet NO ONE from the era remembers him or remembers being scammed

People generally don't like to admit publicly that they'd been tricked. Companies even more so.

fredklein:Oznog: The funny thing about Frank Abagnale is that almost nothing in his book (upon which the movie is based) checks out, except for check fraud. Keep in mind that many events he described were rather public, yet NO ONE from the era remembers him or remembers being scammed

People generally don't like to admit publicly that they'd been tricked. Companies even more so.

Lame explanation. He was famous after the book came out, and people all over should be saying "hey, I REMEMBER that guy!" Shame?? Come on! Getting scammed or fooled by a famous, popular character would be an epic story.

And also, he's have KNOWN people who could be looked up for interviews. Now sure, any ONE person not remembering him or declining an interview proves nothing. But among the hundreds if not thousands of people he had contact with during his prolific worldwide scamming career, not ONE person has ever been interviewed claiming to have known him?

Aside from the 1980 book, he DID make one prior appearance, where he was introduced on a 1977 episode of the TV show To Tell The Truth as a man who impersonated a pilot, doctor, and cashed $2.5M in bad checks.

He alleges he was known to a number of governments worldwide as a wanted criminal. But again, there's no evidence of him doing anything that doesn't source from the book. No records or interviews and even basic fact-checking has busted some of his claims directly. I didn't find any citation of his arrest record. You also won't find any stories of the investigators chasing him, even though you could market your own book on that. No investigator or department has admitted to pursuing him, even though he's self-described as a wanted man with people and agencies pursuing him constantly.

Oznog:fredklein: Oznog: The funny thing about Frank Abagnale is that almost nothing in his book (upon which the movie is based) checks out, except for check fraud. Keep in mind that many events he described were rather public, yet NO ONE from the era remembers him or remembers being scammed

People generally don't like to admit publicly that they'd been tricked. Companies even more so.

Lame explanation. He was famous after the book came out, and people all over should be saying "hey, I REMEMBER that guy!" Shame?? Come on! Getting scammed or fooled by a famous, popular character would be an epic story.

And also, he's have KNOWN people who could be looked up for interviews. Now sure, any ONE person not remembering him or declining an interview proves nothing. But among the hundreds if not thousands of people he had contact with during his prolific worldwide scamming career, not ONE person has ever been interviewed claiming to have known him?

Aside from the 1980 book, he DID make one prior appearance, where he was introduced on a 1977 episode of the TV show To Tell The Truth as a man who impersonated a pilot, doctor, and cashed $2.5M in bad checks.

He alleges he was known to a number of governments worldwide as a wanted criminal. But again, there's no evidence of him doing anything that doesn't source from the book. No records or interviews and even basic fact-checking has busted some of his claims directly. I didn't find any citation of his arrest record. You also won't find any stories of the investigators chasing him, even though you could market your own book on that. No investigator or department has admitted to pursuing him, even though he's self-described as a wanted man with people and agencies pursuing him constantly.

So this guy is the ULTIMATE scam artist, is what you're trying to say.

[ponders]

He's scammed literally millions of people and yet nobody's been hurt. I like it!

Gyrfalcon:Oznog: fredklein: Oznog: The funny thing about Frank Abagnale is that almost nothing in his book (upon which the movie is based) checks out, except for check fraud. Keep in mind that many events he described were rather public, yet NO ONE from the era remembers him or remembers being scammed

People generally don't like to admit publicly that they'd been tricked. Companies even more so.

Lame explanation. He was famous after the book came out, and people all over should be saying "hey, I REMEMBER that guy!" Shame?? Come on! Getting scammed or fooled by a famous, popular character would be an epic story.

And also, he's have KNOWN people who could be looked up for interviews. Now sure, any ONE person not remembering him or declining an interview proves nothing. But among the hundreds if not thousands of people he had contact with during his prolific worldwide scamming career, not ONE person has ever been interviewed claiming to have known him?

Aside from the 1980 book, he DID make one prior appearance, where he was introduced on a 1977 episode of the TV show To Tell The Truth as a man who impersonated a pilot, doctor, and cashed $2.5M in bad checks.

He alleges he was known to a number of governments worldwide as a wanted criminal. But again, there's no evidence of him doing anything that doesn't source from the book. No records or interviews and even basic fact-checking has busted some of his claims directly. I didn't find any citation of his arrest record. You also won't find any stories of the investigators chasing him, even though you could market your own book on that. No investigator or department has admitted to pursuing him, even though he's self-described as a wanted man with people and agencies pursuing him constantly.

So this guy is the ULTIMATE scam artist, is what you're trying to say.

[ponders]

He's scammed literally millions of people and yet nobody's been hurt. I like it!

Yeah it gets all "meta" here. Apparently he's a fraud because he sold this bullshiat story about being a worldwide fraudster. But, he SAID he was a fraud, that's his thing. His claim to fame.It's like "yeah, but you're not THE famous colossal fraud you claimed to be! This whole book-and-movie is nothing but a colossal fraud! ... oh... my... god! BEST FRAUD EVAR!"

If someone did this with real ID and just wore a pilots uniform and cleared security I would have no problem with it. Anyone who can pull the wool over the eyes of an airline deserves a free flight. Of course, if someone dresses up in BDUs and the airline assumes he is a soldier and gives him an upgrade, well, I am OK with that, too.

In July I was flying from LA to Narita and remembered that I had a pair of nail clippers in my bag (I had just bought them at a hotel that morning because my nails needed clipping).

After entering security, showing my ID and boarding pass, I stopped at a garbage can to quickly cut my nails before throwing the clippers away (I know, gross...But I'd forgotten to cut them earlier).

I got a few nails in when the guy at the ID check desk turned around and asked me to stop because the noise was bothering him. I explained that I wanted to cut my nails before getting rid of the clippers, and he told me that they wouldn't take the clippers away.

He was right. They didn't... Even when I put them in the small container with my pen, wallet, phone and pocket change.

lostcat:Actually, it appears that nail clippers are no longer a threat.

In July I was flying from LA to Narita and remembered that I had a pair of nail clippers in my bag (I had just bought them at a hotel that morning because my nails needed clipping).

After entering security, showing my ID and boarding pass, I stopped at a garbage can to quickly cut my nails before throwing the clippers away (I know, gross...But I'd forgotten to cut them earlier).

I got a few nails in when the guy at the ID check desk turned around and asked me to stop because the noise was bothering him. I explained that I wanted to cut my nails before getting rid of the clippers, and he told me that they wouldn't take the clippers away.

He was right. They didn't... Even when I put them in the small container with my pen, wallet, phone and pocket change.

But it wouldn't have bothered him so much if you had been clipping your fingernails.

With the current TSA rules, would the 12 Monkeys doomsday scenario be possible these days, or would the vials of pathogens be banned? Can a scientist still carry on samples with the right paperwork, or do they have to use other means to transport biohazards?

Mad_Radhu:With the current TSA rules, would the 12 Monkeys doomsday scenario be possible these days, or would the vials of pathogens be banned? Can a scientist still carry on samples with the right paperwork, or do they have to use other means to transport biohazards?

I'd think that, given their strict adherence to The Rulez, as long as your toxic material was in a container of 3 oz. or less, you'd be good to go. Hell, any mad scientist who wanted a 12 Monkeys scenario would just need to put the samples in a bottle marked "Shampoo" and he'd be waved through with a glassy-eyed, bovine stare.

TheMega:So.. I guess what the article is trying to say, he was a major security risk because he had: neatly pressed white shirts with epaulets, black trousers and jackets at his place??

Considering the incident happened in the PAST, and he did nothing on the flight except get a free ride, the security risk is boiling down to nice clothing?!?!?

Seriously?

No, the security risk is that ANYONE with a white shirt, epaulets and black trousers now knows it's possible to just walk through the security gate with a wave and a smile, and the TSA goons will continue confiscating bottled water and pointy objects.

You know, like a terrorist.

See, this is the danger of looking for "dangerous objects" instead of "suspicious people." He looked the part, so he aroused no suspicion. But though he may have had the right outfit, did he have the right ID? No, and it didn't matter, because he looked right. And you've got everyone so conditioned to look for scary objects and scary people wearing beards and turbans, they're not thinking "Hey, I don't recognize that guy. Maybe I should check his ID!"